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FSB warplane opens fire at poaching ship in Sea of Okhotsk, no crewmen injured

An administrative offence case was opened against the Sapsan captain

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, January 29 (Itar-Tass) – A border patrol warplane An-72 of the Federal Security Service opened fire for effect at the poaching ship Sapsan under the flag of Sierra Leone. None of 19 crewmen, all of them are Russian citizens, were killed or injured, the press service of the Border Service of the Federal Security Service in the Kamchatka Territory told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

The fishing schooner Sapsan was detected in the Russian territorial waters by the border patrol boat Argal. Without any reply to the commands the poaching ship began to escape from the pursuit towards the external border of the Russian exclusive economic zone.

After eight hours of chasing a border patrol warplane of the Federal Security Service was dispatched in the foresaid area. The captain of the schooner ignored the commands to stop the vessel again. The warning shots were made thrice at the hull of the ship, but the fire did not stop her.

The border transgressing ship stopped only after the warplane An-72 opened fire for effect at the propeller-rudder system.

The fishing schooner Sapsan was registered at the port Freetown, Sierra Leone, and the shipowner is registered on the Seychelles.

The ship is equipped for the transportation of crabs and other bioresources, both live and frozen. The fishing ship lack the technical control equipment, the ship log and the technical ship documentation. The Russian border service did not receive the reports, which verify the fishing activities, was not informed about the Russian border crossing.

An administrative offence case was opened against the Sapsan captain. The poaching ship is being convoyed to the port Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky for court deliberations.